Issaquah 'Man of the Match' Shows He's Got Game

Issaquah resident Brian Gordon, his daughter, and his boss laced up their cleats to spend Tuesday afternoon playing soccer with Sounders FC players, Roger Levesque, David Estrada and Michael Gspurning.

“The fact that I got to take shots with Estrada and Levesque, well it was just beyond what I expected,” Gordon said. “We had such a blast; this was such a great opportunity!”

A Washington Lottery spokesperson said that though it wasn’t an actual soccer match, Gordon and his guests kicked a few goals in against the Sounders FC goalkeeper, and then the Sounders invited Gordon to be the goalkeeper. He blocked quite a few shots from Estrada and Levesque and definitely held his own against the Sounders players, the spokesperson said.

Once the group’s soccer practice wrapped up, Sounders goalkeeper, Michael Gspurning, even took off his gloves, signed them, and gave them to Gordon to take home. Gordon brought his daughter, Issaquah High School student Rachel Solem, and his boss, Paul Algate, to be his teammates. His boss, Paul Algate, admitted to eating his Wheaties Tuesday morning to prepare.

Washington’s Lottery and the Sounders FC ran the Man of the Match promotion last year and are offering new prizes for this year’s in-stadium promotion. This season’s prizes include:

· A photographer press pass where a lucky winner will get to be a professional sports photographer on the sidelines at the match

· A sideline sofa seat where the winner gets to watch the match from a sofa on the field while enjoying food and beverages on the house

· And an all access pass where the winner will receive a personalized jersey and access to hang out on the sidelines before the match begins with a special team meet and greet!